Transportation system including a hovering vehicle

ABSTRACT

A transportation system is disclosed. The transportation system has a vehicle that is self-powered and configured to generate an air cushion on a trackless lane having a substantially flat surface. The vehicle is configured to move over the substantially flat surface on the air cushion. The transportation system also has a guidance system configured to guide the vehicle between peripheries of the trackless lane.

RELATED APPLICATIONS

This application claims priority under 35 U.S.C. § 119 to U.S.Provisional Patent Application No. 61/475,845, filed Apr. 15, 2011,entitled “TRANSPORTATION SYSTEM INCLUDING A HOVERING VEHICLE,” theentire content of which is incorporated herein by reference.

TECHNICAL FIELD

The present disclosure relates to a transportation system including ahovering vehicle.

BACKGROUND

Train systems are suitable for efficiently transporting many passengersand large amounts of material over long distances. Conventional trainsystems depend upon significant infrastructure including, for example,track systems and electrical distribution systems. For example, existingpassenger and freight rail systems, high speed rail systems, andmagnetic levitation trains require infrastructure such as rail lines,rail bridges, power systems for tracks, and rail control systems.

Costs of such infrastructure are typically very high. Additionally, muchof the world's terrain is inappropriate for conventional rail systems.For example, terrain having a mix of water, ice, and land may beunsuitable for tracked rail.

Other transportation systems do not adequately address the limitationsof conventional rail systems. For example, alternatives such as highwaysand air travel are not as efficient as rail in transporting largeamounts of material and passengers, and also require significantinfrastructure such as roads, bridges, and airports. Additionally,conventional transportation systems may also be unsuitable for terrainhaving a mix of water, ice, and land.

The present disclosure is directed to overcoming shortcomings and/orother deficiencies in existing technology, such as those discussedabove.

SUMMARY OF THE DISCLOSURE

In accordance with one aspect, the present disclosure is directed towarda transportation system. The transportation system includes aself-powered vehicle configured to generate an air cushion on atrackless lane having a substantially flat surface. The vehicle is alsoconfigured to move over the substantially flat surface on the aircushion. The transportation system also includes a guidance systemconfigured to guide the vehicle between peripheries of the tracklesslane.

According to another aspect, the present disclosure is directed toward amethod for operating a vehicle. The method includes self-powering thevehicle with at least one of carbonized fossil fuel, solar energy, andthermal energy. The method also includes generating an air cushionbetween a bottom of the vehicle and a substantially flat surface of atrackless lane. The method further includes moving the vehicle over thesubstantially flat surface on the air cushion, and communicating with aguidance system to guide the vehicle between peripheries of thetrackless lane.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 is a side view of an exemplary transportation system consistentwith the disclosed embodiments;

FIG. 2 is a plan view of the transportation system of FIG. 1;

FIG. 3 is a detailed plan view of the transportation system of FIG. 1;

FIG. 4 is a detailed side view of the transportation system of FIG. 1;

FIG. 5 is a cross-sectional view of an exemplary disclosed verticalthrust system of the transportation system of FIG. 1;

FIG. 6 is a cross-sectional view of an exemplary dispensing system ofthe transportation system of FIG. 1;

FIG. 7 is a cross-sectional view of an exemplary horizontal thrustsystem of the transportation system of FIG. 1;

FIG. 8 is a schematic view of an exemplary linkage subsystem of thetransportation system of FIG. 1;

FIG. 9 is another schematic view of the linkage subsystem of FIG. 8;

FIG. 10 is another schematic view of linkage subsystem of FIG. 8;

FIG. 11 is a perspective view of the transportation system of FIG. 1;

FIG. 12 is a perspective view of the transportation system of FIG. 1

FIG. 13 is a front view of the transportation system of FIG. 1;

FIG. 14 is a perspective view of the transportation system of FIG. 1;

FIG. 15 is another perspective view of the transportation system of FIG.1 and

FIG. 16 is a schematic view of an exemplary geographic area of use forthe transportation system of FIG. 1.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

FIGS. 1 and 2 illustrate an exemplary transportation system comprising ahovering vehicle system 10 for transporting contents such as, forexample, material and/or passengers. Hovering vehicle system 10 mayinclude a vehicle 12 supported by a support system 14.

As depicted in FIGS. 1 and 2, vehicle 12 may include a structural system16, a horizontal thrust system 18, a vertical thrust system 20, anenergy system 22, a dispensing system 26 (depicted in more detail inFIG. 6), and a control system 27. Structural system 16 may supportand/or house the various systems of vehicle 12. Horizontal thrust system18 may provide for horizontal movement of vehicle 12, and verticalthrust system 20 may provide for vertical movement of vehicle 12. Energysystem 22 may power the various systems of vehicle 12. Dispensing system26 may dispense material to improve support system 14. Support system 14may include the ground and/or other terrain over which vehicle 12travels. Control system 27 may control the various systems of vehicle 12and may communicate with support system 14.

As depicted in FIGS. 1 and 2, structural system 16 may include a leadingmodule 28, one or more intermediate modules 30, and an end module 32.Leading module 28 may lead intermediate modules 30 in a direction oftravel 34 of vehicle 12. Modules 30 may in turn lead end module 32 indirection of travel 34. Structural system 16 may also include a singlemodule or any number of modules structurally supporting the varioussystems of vehicle 12 described herein. For example, vehicle 12 may be asingle module vehicle or may be in a train configuration of multiplemodules. For example, vehicle 12 may be a multi-car train including aplurality of cars.

As depicted in FIGS. 3 and 4, leading module 28 may include a housing 36and a hood assembly 38. Housing 36 may be supported above hood assembly38, and both housing 36 and hood assembly 38 may structurally supportthe various systems of leading module 28.

Housing 36 may include any suitable relatively lightweight material forstructurally supporting the various systems of leading module 28 suchas, for example, materials having a relatively low density and/or arelatively high strength-to-weight ratio. For example, in someembodiments, housing 36 may include relatively light materials such as,for example, aluminum, titanium, plastics/polymers, carbon fiber, carbonfiber-reinforced polymer or carbon fiber-reinforced plastic, or anysuitable combinations thereof. Use of lightweight materials may reducethe weight of leading module 28, thereby reducing the amount of energyrequired to suspend and move leading module 28.

As depicted in FIGS. 3 and 4, housing 36 may be formed into anaerodynamics and stability configuration, including a front windowassembly 42, one or more side window assemblies 44, and one or more doorassemblies 46 for accessing a compartment 48. Housing 36 may alsoinclude a horizontal thrust assembly 50 for housing elements ofhorizontal thrust system 18 and a vertical thrust assembly 52 forhousing elements of vertical thrust system 20.

The aerodynamics and stability configuration may include a widthdimension 54, a length dimension 56, and a height dimension 58. One ofwidth dimension 54 and length dimension 56 may be significantly largerthan height dimension 58, so that leading module 28 may have arelatively flat design. For example, width dimension 54 and/or lengthdimension 56 may be between about two and about six times greater thanheight dimension 58. Leading module 28 may thereby have a relativelyflat shape, which may improve stability of leading module 28 as it movesover support system 14. It is also contemplated that dimensions 54, 56,and 58 may be substantially equal, or have any suitable ratio withrespect to each other. The aerodynamics and stability configuration mayalso include slanted surfaces such as, for example, slanted surfaces 60and 62. Slanted surfaces 60 and 62 may slope upward from the front tothe rear of leading module 28, relative to direction of travel 34, asdepicted, for example, in FIG. 4. Slanted surfaces 60 and 62 may therebymake leading module 28 more aerodynamic in a direction of travel 34,because air may tend to be urged over a top of leading module 28, viaslanted surfaces 60 and 62, as leading module 28 moves in direction oftravel 34. Intermediate modules 30 and end module 32 of vehicle 12 mayinclude designs similar to the aerodynamics and stability configurationof leading module 28.

Front window assembly 42 and the one or more side window assemblies 44may include apertures provided in housing 36 that are configured toreceive transparent structural material. The apertures of windowassemblies 42 and 44 may communicate with compartment 48 so thatoperating personnel located in compartment 48 may view the environmentsurrounding vehicle 12. Operating personnel may access compartment 48via one or more door assemblies 46. Compartment 48 may house inputand/or output terminals of control system 27, so that operatingpersonnel located in compartment 48 may control the various systems ofvehicle 12.

As depicted in FIG. 3, horizontal thrust assembly 50 may include one ormore recesses 64 and a cavity 66 for housing elements of horizontalthrust system 18. Recesses 64 may be defined by any suitable shapeformed in housing 36 for structural support of horizontal thrustassembly 50. Cavity 66 may be formed within housing 36 and may beconfigured to contain mechanical elements of horizontal thrust system18.

As depicted in FIG. 5, vertical thrust assembly 52 may include one ormore walls 68 forming a cavity 70. Cavity 70 may house elements ofvertical thrust system 20. Vertical thrust assembly 52 may also includea vent 72 which may protect elements of vertical thrust system 20 whileallowing ambient air from the environment surrounding leading module 28to communicate with cavity 70.

As depicted in FIGS. 4 and 5, hood assembly 38 may include a plenum 74,a hood 76, and a strut system 77 (depicted in FIG. 6). Plenum 74 mayprovide pressurized air to fill hood 76, and strut system 77 may supporthood assembly 38.

As depicted in FIG. 5, plenum 74 may include one or more upper walls 78and one or more lower walls 80. Upper walls 78 may be attached to walls68 of vertical thrust assembly 52 so that a cavity 82, suitable forcontaining pressurized air, is defined by walls 68, 78, and 80. Lowerwalls 80 may include one or more apertures 84 that allow cavity 82 tocommunicate with hood 76.

As depicted in FIGS. 5 and 6, hood 76 may include an inflatable bead 86,which, in conjunction with lower wall 80 of plenum 74 and a surface ofsupport system 14, may define a space 88. Bead 86 may be configured toreceive, into space 88, pressurized air that may be stored in plenum 74.For example, cavity 82 of plenum 74 may be in fluid communication with abead interior 90 of bead 86, such that pressurized air from plenum 74may inflate bead 86 by entering space 88 via apertures 84.

As depicted in FIG. 6, strut system 77 may include a plurality of struts92 disposed adjacent to bead 86. Struts 92 may extend below a bottomsurface of lower walls 80 of plenum 74, thereby allowing struts 92 tostructurally support hood assembly 38 of leading module 28 on a surfaceof support system 14 when bead 86 is not inflated. Strut system 77 maybe included on leading module 28, intermediate modules 30, and/or endmodule 32.

Referring again to FIGS. 3 and 4, each intermediate module 30 ofstructural system 16 may have a housing 94 and a hood assembly 96 thatare similar to housing 36 and hood assembly 38 of leading module 28.

In some embodiments, housing 94 may have one or more side windowassemblies 98, one or more door assemblies 100 for accessing acompartment 102, and a vertical thrust assembly 104 for housing elementsof vertical thrust system 20. Side window assemblies 98, door assemblies100, and vertical thrust assembly 104 may be similar to side windowassemblies 44, door assemblies 46, and vertical thrust assembly 52,respectively, of housing 36 of leading module 28.

As depicted in FIG. 4, compartment 102 may be disposed withinintermediate module 30 and may house any contents suitable fortransportation. For example, compartment 102 may contain contents suchas retail goods, raw materials, and/or passenger chairs and seats. Insome embodiments, compartment 102 may be configured to containpressurized or unpressurized liquids and/or food. Further, compartment102 may also include multiple levels of storage, e.g., providing forpassengers on an upper level and material storage on a lower level.Contents to be transported may be loaded into compartment 102 via doorassembly 100. Vertical thrust assembly 104 may be disposed within acentral portion of compartment 102, and material may be disposed to thefront, rear, and sides of vertical thrust assembly 104, relative todirection of travel 34.

As depicted in FIGS. 4 and 6, hood assembly 96 of intermediate module 30may include a plenum 106, a hood 108, and a strut system 110 that may besimilar to plenum 74, hood 76, and strut system 77 of leading module 28.Referring again to FIGS. 1 and 2, end module 32 of structural system 16may be similar to leading module 28 and intermediate module 30. Forexample, end module 32 may include a housing 112 and a hood assembly 114that are similar to housing 36 and hood assembly 38 of leading module28. Also, housing 112 may include a horizontal thrust assembly 116 thatis similar to horizontal thrust assembly 50 of leading module 28.Further, housing 112 may include a vertical thrust assembly 118 that issimilar to vertical thrust assembly 104 of intermediate module 30. Also,housing 112 may include a compartment 120 that is similar to compartment102 of intermediate module 30.

Horizontal thrust system 18 of vehicle 12 may include a forward thrustsubsystem 122, a reverse thrust subsystem 124, and a maneuver subsystem126. Forward thrust subsystem 122 may urge vehicle 12 in a direction oftravel 34, reverse thrust subsystem 124 may urge vehicle 12 in adirection substantially opposite to direction of travel 34, and maneuversubsystem 126 may provide for the maneuvering of vehicle 12.

Forward thrust subsystem 122 may include one or more power sources 128,depicted in FIG. 7. Power source 128 may be disposed in recess 64 ofhorizontal thrust assembly 50 of leading module 28, and supportingcomponents of power source 128 may be disposed in cavity 66 of leadingmodule 28. It is also contemplated that power source 128 may be locatedon intermediate module 30 and/or end module 32.

Power source 128 may be any suitable device for producing a thrust tourge vehicle 12 in a direction of travel 34 such as, for example, aninternal combustion engine, a battery, a fuel cell, or a motor. Forexample, as depicted in FIG. 7, power source 128 may include a gasturbine engine such as a turbofan engine 130. Turbofan engine 130 mayinclude a core engine 132, a fan system 134, and an additional turbine136. Core engine 132 may be surrounded by fan system 134 at a frontportion of turbofan engine 130, and may be surrounded by additionalturbine 136 at a rear portion of turbofan engine 130, with respect todirection of travel 34.

As depicted in FIG. 7, core engine 132 may include a core compressor138, a core combustion area 140, a core turbine 142, and a rotatablecore shaft 144. Core compressor 138 may pressurize air, and fuel may beburned in core combustion area 140 to produce gas with high pressure andvelocity. Core turbine 142 may extract energy from the gas having highpressure and velocity. Core engine 132 may thereby produce thrust thaturges vehicle 12 in direction of travel 34.

Fan system 134 may include an air inlet 146, a compressor 147, a fan148, and a bypass 150. Air inlet 146 may capture ambient air, a portionof which is directed to core compressor 138 and into core engine 132,and a portion of which is directed to bypass 150. The air passingthrough bypass 150 may have a relatively higher velocity, and may add tothe thrust produced by turbofan engine 130. Additional turbine 136 maybe attached to turbofan engine 130 by a shaft 152 and may also add tothe thrust produced by turbofan engine 130.

As depicted in FIGS. 1 and 2, reverse thrust subsystem 124 may includeone or more power sources 154 and one or more thrust reversers 156.Power source 154 may be similar to power source 128 of forward thrustsubsystem 122, except that the orientation of power source 154 may besubstantially opposite to that of power source 128. Therefore, powersource 154 may urge vehicle 12 in a direction that is substantiallyopposite to direction of travel 34. Power source 154 may be disposedwithin horizontal thrust assembly 116 of end module 32, similar to thearrangement of power source 128 within horizontal thrust assembly 50 ofleading module 28, with the exception that the orientation of powersource 154 may be reversed. It is also contemplated that power source154 may be located on leading module 28 and/or one or more intermediatemodules 30.

As depicted in FIG. 7, one or more thrust reversers 156 of reversethrust subsystem 124 may be disposed on power source 128 of forwardthrust subsystem 122. Thrust reversers 156 of reverse thrust subsystem124 may reduce the amount of thrust produced by power source 128 offorward thrust subsystem 122, thereby reducing the amount of thrusturging vehicle 12 in direction of travel 34. Thrust reversers 156 mayinclude thrust levers 158, depicted in FIG. 7 in a closed position.Thrust reversers may be moved to an open position 160 (depicted in FIG.7 as a dashed line), which may close bypass 150 to airflow and ejectbypassing air out of bypass 150 in a direction 162, which may producethrust partially opposing the remaining thrust produced by power source128. Thrust reversers 156 may thereby reduce the net thrust generated bypower source 128 in direction of travel 34 when thrust levers 158 are inan open position.

As depicted in FIGS. 1-3, maneuver subsystem 126 of horizontal thrustsystem 18 may include a plurality of linkage assemblies 127 and aplurality of rudders 129. Linkage assemblies 127 may connect modules 28,30, and/or 32, and rudders 129 may be configured to steer vehicle 12.

As depicted in FIGS. 1 and 2, rudders 129 may be located on a topsurface of modules 28, 30, and 32. Rudders 129 may be formed from amaterial similar to housings 36, 94, and 112 of modules 28, 30, and 32.Rudders 129 may include actuating elements such as, for example,batteries and motors, to rotate rudders 129 about a substantiallyvertical axis. Rudders 129 may be controlled by operators of vehicle 12via control system 27. Each rudder 129 may be controlled independentlyfrom other rudders 129. In some embodiments, some or all of rudders 129may be controlled to perform the same movement in unison.

In some embodiments, as depicted in FIG. 1, linkage assemblies 127 maybe disposed at locations 164, between the modules of structural system16. As depicted in FIGS. 8, 9, and 10, linkage assemblies 127 mayinclude one or more protrusions 166, one or more apertures 168, and oneor more flexible bearings 170 at each location 164. Aperture 168 may beconfigured to receive protrusion 166, and flexible bearing 170 may bedisposed around protrusion 166 and between modules 28, 30, and/or 32.

As depicted in FIGS. 8, 9, and 10, protrusion 166 may be any suitablestructural element extending from a front portion and/or a rear portionof modules 28, 30, and 32. Protrusion 166 may extend over part orsubstantially all of a front and/or rear wall of modules 28, 30, and 32.Protrusion 166 may be any suitable shape such as, for example, arectangular shape having surfaces 172 and 174.

Aperture 168 may be configured to receive protrusion 166, and mayinclude surfaces 176 and 178. As depicted in FIG. 10, aperture 168 mayreceive protrusion 166 such that portions of surfaces 176 and 178 abutportions of surfaces 172 and 174, respectively. Aperture 168 may alsoinclude slanted surfaces 180 that may slant outward toward exteriorsurfaces of modules 28, 30, and/or 32.

Flexible bearing 170 may include any suitable material for providing abearing connection between modules 28, 30, and/or 32 such as, forexample, an elastomeric material, a rubber material, or any othersuitable flexible material having significant capacity to expand andcontract elastically. Flexible bearing 170 may thereby significantlyexpand and contract, and undergo large displacements relative to theoverall dimensions of flexible bearing 170, without experiencingsignificant permanent inelastic deformation. As depicted in FIG. 8,flexible bearing 170 may be disposed between modules 28, 30, and/or 32,and may fill part or substantially all of a gap 181 between modules 28,30, and 32.

As depicted in FIG. 9, flexible bearing 170 may expand and contractbased on relative movement of modules 28, 30, and/or 32 such as, forexample, when vehicle 12 maneuvers horizontally, makes elevationchanges, and/or makes turns while moving on support system 14. Forexample, when vehicle 12 turns, gap 181 may expand at a side portion 182and contract at a side portion 184. Also, as vehicle 12 turns, slantedsurfaces 180 of aperture 168 may provide enough clearance so thatprotrusion 166 is not obstructed by aperture 168. Because flexiblebearing 170 may have significant capacity to expand, contract, andundergo large displacements elastically, flexible bearing 170 maycontinuously provide a bearing surface between modules 28, 30, and 32 asside portions 182 and 184 of gap 181 expand and/or contract. As depictedin FIG. 10, flexible bearing 170 may contract as gap 181 contracts, forexample, when vehicle 12 brakes during an operation of reverse thrustsubsystem 124.

Referring back to FIG. 2, vertical thrust system 20 of vehicle 12 mayinclude a plurality of vertical thrust subsystems 186 that may bedisposed in vertical thrust assembly 52 of leading module 28, verticalthrust assembly 104 of intermediate modules 30, and/or vertical thrustassembly 118 of end module 32. Vertical thrust system 20 may produce anair cushion to urge modules 28, 30, and/or 32 in a substantiallyvertical, upward direction so that vehicle 12 may hover above a surfaceof support system 14.

As depicted in FIG. 5, each vertical thrust subsystem 186 may include apower source 188, a shaft 190, and a fan 192. Power source 188 may beany suitable power source for driving shaft 190. Power source 188 maybe, for example, a power source that is similar to core engine 132 offorward thrust subsystem 122. Shaft 190 may be any suitable structuralelement that may mechanically transfer power output from power source188 to fan 192, thereby driving fan 192. Fan 192 may pressurize airdisposed in cavity 82 of plenum 74 of modules 28, 30, and 32.

As depicted in FIG. 1, energy system 22 of vehicle 12 may provide energyto power the various systems of vehicle 12. Energy system 22 may includeenergy delivery subsystems such as fuel tanks, fuel lines, batteries,electrical converters, and electrical lines that may be disposed in anysuitable location of vehicle 12 such as, for example, cavity 66 andassemblies 50 and 52 of leading module 28, vertical thrust assembly 104of intermediate modules 30, and/or horizontal thrust assembly 116 andvertical thrust assembly 118 of end module 32. Elements of energy system22 may also be located in any suitable locations within housing 36 ofleading module 28, housing 94 of intermediate modules 30, and housing112 of end module 32. For example, energy system 22 may include anysuitable type of liquid, solid, or gaseous fuel stored within containershoused in housings 36, 94, and/or 112 of vehicle 12, and configured toprovide thrust systems 18 and/or 20 with fuel. For example, any suitableliquid fuel such as, for example, gas, gaseous fuel, and/or carbonizedor carburized fossil fuels may be provided by energy system 22 to thrustsystems 18 and/or 20. Thus, vehicle 12 may be self-powered by utilizingenergy system 22.

Energy system 22 may also transfer power produced by thrust systems 18and/or 20 to structural system 16 (e.g., for lighting, water supplysystems, heating, and cooling), dispensing system 26, and control system27 via any suitable power transfer elements such as, for example,electrical lines. Referring back to FIGS. 1 and 2, energy system 22 mayinclude energy collectors 194 disposed on exterior surfaces of modules28, 30, and/or 32. Energy collectors 194 may include, for example, anysuitable device for converting solar energy to electrical energy suchas, for example, photovoltaic cells. Energy collectors 194 may alsoinclude thermal energy devices for producing power from ambient thermaleffects such as, for example, a thermal gradient. Energy collectors 194may be provided in a substantially flat form having a low profile, so asnot to inhibit the effectiveness of the aerodynamics and stabilityconfiguration of modules 28, 30, and 32. For example, flexible energycollectors 194 may be adhered to the exterior surface contours ofvehicle 12. Energy collected by energy collectors 194 may be used topartially or substantially entirely power some or all of the varioussystems of vehicle 12.

Energy system 22 may provide for an independent self-powering of each ofmodules 28, 30, and 32. For example, power sources of thrust systems 18and/or 20 and energy collectors 194 may be used to power the respectivemodule in which each power source and energy collector 194 is disposedvia energy system 22. Additionally, energy system 22 may provide for anintegrated self-powering of the entire vehicle 12. For example, powerfrom each of the thrust systems 18 and/or 20 and energy collectors 194may be transferred between modules 28, 30, and/or 32 via energy system22, and may be used to power the various systems on some or all of themodules of vehicle 12.

As depicted in FIG. 6, dispensing system 26 of vehicle 12 may include ahousing 196, a surface-improving fill 198, and a dispenser 200. Housing196 may contain fill 198, which may be dispensed by dispenser 200 onto asurface of support system 14. Fill 198 may include any suitablesurface-improving material for improving a surface of support system 14.For example, fill 198 may include lime, cement, lime-fly ash, fly ash,smooth aggregate, coarse aggregate, and/or water.

As depicted in FIG. 6, housing 196 may be formed from any structuralmaterial suitable for containing pressurized or unpressurized contents.Housing 196 may include a plurality of structural elements 202, 204,206, and 208, which may be attached to modules 28, 30, and/or 32 and maydefine a cavity 210. Fill 198 may be disposed in cavity 210.

Dispensing system 26 may be located at any suitable location of vehicle12 such as, for example, on or within hood assemblies 38, 96, and/or 114of vehicle 12. For example, dispensing system 26 may be located on hoodassembly 38 at a front portion of leading module 28, relative todirection of travel 34. Dispenser 200 may include any suitable devicesfor dispensing fill 198 from cavity 210 of housing 196. For example,dispenser 200 may include a pressurizing device 212 that pressurizesfill 198 such as, for example, a jacking device. Dispenser 200 may alsoinclude a delivery device 214 that may include an orifice 216 and asprayer 218. Fill 198 may be urged under pressure through orifice 216and/or driven by sprayer 218 through orifice 216, thereby dispensingfill 198 from cavity 210.

Control system 27 of vehicle 12 may control the various systems ofvehicle 12. Control system 27 may be located in any suitable location orlocations of vehicle 12. For example, control system 27 may be disposedwithin housing 36 of leading module 28, housing 94 of intermediatemodules 30, and/or housing 112 of end module 32. In some embodiments,control system 27 may be integrated with energy system 22 of vehicle 12.Input and/or output terminals of control system 27 may be located withincompartment 48 of leading module 28, compartment 102 of intermediatemodules 30, and/or compartment 120 of end module 32 such that operatingpersonnel and/or passengers may access control system 27. For example,operating personnel located in compartment 48 of leading module 28 mayuse the input and output terminals to control the operation of lighting,water supply systems, heating, and cooling systems of structural system16, the various elements of horizontal thrust system 18, vertical thrustsystem 20, energy system 22, and/or dispensing system 26. Control system27 may also include devices configured to communicate with supportsystem 14 such as, for example, transponders, receivers, transmitters,and/or interrogation devices. Control system 27 may include one or moresubsystems for controlling one or more, or all, of modules 28, 30, and32. Control system 27 may shift between one or more modes of operationfor controlling vehicle 12.

Turning now to support system 14 that supports vehicle 12, as depictedin FIG. 11, support system 14 may include one or more stations 220, atleast one trackless lane 222, and a guidance system 224. Station 220 maybe located adjacent to lane 222. Vehicle 12 may travel on lane 222, andmay be guided by guidance system 224. Support system 14 may be atrackless support system for supporting vehicle 12.

As depicted in FIG. 12, station 220 of support system 14 may include afacility 226 and a pad 228. Pad 228 may be located adjacent to facility226, and may support vehicle 12 when vehicle 12 utilizes station 220.Station 220 may include access to conventional transportation such as,for example, conventional rail systems and highway systems.

Facility 226 may include one or more structures for housing supportpersonnel, maintenance equipment, passengers, material for transport,transportation services, and any other items used in conjunction withtransporting people and material. Facility 226 may be located adjacentto one or more lanes 222 and pads 228, such that materials and personnelmay be moved between vehicle 12 and facility 226.

As depicted in FIG. 12, pad 228 may support vehicle 12 when vehicle 12utilizes station 220. Pad 228 may be formed from any material suitablefor providing bearing support to vehicle 12 when it is in a non-hoveringstate. Pad 228 may be formed of stiff and/or flexible material. Forexample, pad 228 may include stiff materials, such as concrete, asphalt,rubberized asphalt and/or flexible materials, such as elastomericmaterial and/or rubber. Alternatively, or additionally, in someembodiments, pad 228 may include earth, earth including additives (e.g.,lime, cement, lime-fly ash, fly ash, smooth aggregate, coarse aggregate,and/or water), grass, and/or turf. Pad 228 may support vehicle 12 in ahovering state and/or in a non-hovering state. For example, strutsystems 77 and 110 of vehicle 12 may be supported on pad 228 whenvehicle 12 is in a non-hovering state and bead 86 is not inflated. Pad228 may be sized to receive some or all of the modules of vehicle 12.

As depicted in FIG. 13, lane 222 of support system 14 may include asubstantially flat surface 230 and one or more barriers 232 located atperipheries 234 of substantially flat surface 230. Barriers 232 locatedat or near peripheries 234 of lane 222 may include any suitable barriersystems such as, for example, metal fencing, wood fencing, plasticfencing, concrete barriers, plastic barriers including a fill (e.g.,sand or water), and earthen berms. It is contemplated that barriers 232may be located at or near a center and/or interior location of lane 222.It is also contemplated that peripheries 234 of lane 222 may be open andinclude no barriers.

Lane 222 may be trackless. “Trackless” means supporting vehicle 12without any type of structural element protruding from substantiallyflat surface 230 to structurally support vehicle 12 such as, forexample, conventional railroad rail, reaction rail for trackedhovercraft, magnetic levitation linear rail, rail for supporting atracked linear induction motor vehicle, monorail track, or any otherstructural element that protrudes from a surface over which the vehicletravels and mechanically engages or provides a reaction surface for thevehicle.

“Substantially flat surface” means a surface that is suitable forhovercraft use such as, for example, a surface without obstructingprotrusions large enough to cause significant pressurized air to escapefrom under inflated bead 86 so that hovering is significantly disruptedand causing, for example, a bottom of bead 86 to drag on the ground. Forexample, substantially flat surface 230 may include solid ground and icewithout obstructing protrusions, a surface of water, and a surface of aswamp. For example, as depicted in FIG. 14, substantially flat surface230 may include a ground surface 236 and/or a water surface 238. Alsofor example, as depicted in FIG. 15, substantially flat surface 230 mayinclude an ice surface 240 and/or an arctic water surface 242. Thus,lanes 222 may have substantially flat solid and/or liquid surfaces.Also, lane 222 may include a liquid body having a substantially flatliquid surface, e.g. surfaces 238 and 242, and may include a solid bodyhaving a substantially flat solid surface, e.g., surfaces 236 and 240.

As depicted in FIG. 16, support system 14 may include lanes 222 locatedin areas of the world having significant amounts of substantially flatsurfaces 230 such as, for example, tundra area 244 and plains area 246.Also, for example, lanes 222 may be located in areas having littleconventional transportation infrastructure, such as tundra area 244having vast areas lacking conventional rail, highways, airstrips, and/orice-free shipping lanes.

Referring to FIG. 13, guidance system 224 of support system 14 mayinclude a plurality of guidance devices 248. Guidance devices 248 may beground-mounted devices that may be located at peripheries 234 ofsubstantially flat surface 230 and/or at interior locations of lane 222on substantially flat surface 230. Guidance devices 248 may also bepartially or entirely buried below substantially flat surface 230 and/orpartially or entirely buried outside of periphery 234 of lane 222.Guidance devices 248 may also be located below water and/or icesurfaces. Thus, guidance system 224 may include a plurality of guidancedevices 248 dispersed on lane 222 and configured to communicate withoperators and/or control system 27 of vehicle 12 to guide vehicle 12between peripheries 234 of lane 222.

Guidance devices 248 may be any suitable device for guiding vehicle 12such as, for example, a sensor and/or a global positioning system (GPS)device. For example, each guidance device 248 may also include a deviceconfigured to send and receive sensed operation data from vehicle 12.For example, guidance device 248 may include transponders, receivers,transmitters, and/or interrogation devices configured to communicatewith communication devices of control system 27 of vehicle 12. Forexample, guidance device 248 may be interrogated by a communicationdevice aboard a passing vehicle 12, and may provide operation data suchas location data to control system 27 and/or an operator of vehicle 12.Guidance device 248 may provide any suitable type of data to vehicle 12such as, for example, GPS and/or elevation data, ambient condition datasuch as temperature, motion detection data of obstructions within lane222, image data, and/or data regarding a maintenance condition of lane222. Guidance devices 248 and communication devices of control system 27aboard vehicle 12 may communicate via any suitable means such as, forexample, radio, microwave line-of-sight, laser optics, and/or wirelesscommunication. Guidance devices 248 may be dispersed intermittentlyalong lane 222. Guidance devices 248 may thereby communicate withvehicle 12 to continuously provide operators and/or control system 27 ofvehicle 12 with data for maneuvering vehicle 12.

In addition to guidance devices 248, guidance system 224 may alsoinclude components located partially or entirely aboard vehicle 12. Forexample, guidance system 224 may include a memory such as, for example,a computer-readable medium. The memory may store instructions forexecuting guidance processes of vehicle 12. For example, the memory maystore information provided by guidance devices 248 and/or data receiveddirectly from satellite and other wireless systems. Guidance system 224may also include a processor for executing the instructions stored inthe memory. The processor may be integrated into control system 27 ofvehicle 12. For example, one or more processors of guidance system 224may provide a geographical route to operators and/or control system 27of vehicle 12 based on information stored in the memory and provided byboth guidance devices 248 and satellite systems, from only guidancedevices 248, and/or from only satellite or other wireless systems.Guidance system 224 may thereby store and process operation data forcontrolling vehicle 12 based on guidance devices 248, and alsoindependent from guidance devices 248 via wireless systems.

Vehicle 12 of hovering vehicle system 10 may operate with the support ofsupport system 14. An exemplary operation of hovering vehicle system 10is described below.

Vehicle 12 may begin operation in a shut-down state at station 220. Asdepicted in FIGS. 4 and 12, passengers and/or materials may be unloadedfrom vehicle 12 into facility 226 via door assemblies 46 and 100 ofmodules 28, 30, and/or 32. Additionally, passengers and/or materials maybe loaded from facility 226 into vehicle 12 via door assemblies 46 and100 of modules 28, 30, and/or 32. Vehicle 12 may be supported on pad 228of station 220 via strut systems 77 and 110 of modules 28, 30, and 32.Energy system 22 may operate to supply the various systems of vehicle 12with power. Energy collectors 194 and/or power sources of horizontalthrust system 18 and vertical thrust system 20 may operate to providepower to the various systems of vehicle 12 via energy system 22.

After personnel and/or materials are loaded, operators and/or controlsystem 27 of vehicle 12 may operate vertical thrust system 20. One ormore power sources 188 of some or all of vertical thrust subsystems 186of modules 28, 30, and 32 will drive one or more fans 192 via respectiveshafts 190. As depicted in FIGS. 5 and 6, fans 192 will pressurize airin cavities 82 of plenums 74 and 106 of modules 28, 30, and 32. Thepressurized air contained in plenums 74 and 106 will be urged by fans192 into bead interior 90 of beads 86, thereby inflating beads 86 ofmodules 28, 30, and 32. As beads 86 continue to be inflated, the bottomportions of beads 86 will bear against pad 228, and strut systems 77 and110 of modules 28, 30, and 32 will eventually be lifted off of pad 228as beads 86 begin to support an entire weight of vehicle 12. As beads 86rest on pad 228, space 88 will be formed between a surface of beads 86,an upper surface of pad 228, and a bottom surface of lower walls 80 ofplenums 74 and 106 of modules 28, 30, and 32. As beads 86 becomesubstantially inflated, fans 192 will urge pressurized air from cavities82 of plenums 74 and 106 into space 88 via apertures 84, therebyincreasingly pressurizing the air in space 88. Fans 192 will continue tourge pressurized air into space 88 until the pressure of the air inspace 88 becomes high enough to overcome gravitational forces due to theweight of vehicle 12, thereby urging beads 86 of vehicle 12 off of theground and allowing some of the highly pressurized air in space 88 toescape. Fans 192 may thereby operate to form an air cushion 250 (i.e., acontinuous curtain or jet of pressurized air) between a bottom of beads86 of modules 28, 30, and 32 and pad 228, as some pressurized aircontinuously escapes from space 88. An annular ring of airflow, or amomentum curtain, may thereby be produced by beads 86, providing liftbased on the pressurized air in space 88. Operators and/or controlsystem 27 may vary air cushion 250 via control of fans 192 of verticalthrust system 20. Vehicle 12 may thereby hover over pad 228, supportedby air cushion 250. Although remaining substantially stationary abovepad 228, hovering vehicle 12 may not be in direct contact with pad 228while hovering. Air cushion 250 also provides an effective suspensionsystem for vehicle 12. Air cushion 250 may also be generated againstsubstantially flat surfaces 230 away from station 220, e.g., whenvehicle 12 for some reason has been stopped in a shut-down state on lane222 between stations 220.

As vehicle 12 hovers above pad 228, operators and/or control system 27may operate horizontal thrust system 18. Turbofan engines 130 of forwardthrust subsystem 122 may be activated and operated to produce forwardthrust to move vehicle 12 in direction of travel 34. Vehicle 12 may moveaway from station 220 and pad 228, and may move over substantially flatsurface 230 of lane 222. Because vehicle 12 is supported by air cushion250, turbofans 130 may move vehicle 12 substantially without resistancefrom frictional forces produced by contact between vehicle 12 and pad228 and/or substantially flat surface 230. Operators and/or controlsystem 27 of vehicle 12 may control the thrust generated by forwardthrust subsystem 122 to control a speed of vehicle 12 in direction oftravel 34. Vehicle 12 may thus be a self-powered vehicle that isconfigured to generate air cushion 250 on substantially flat surface230, and move over substantially flat surface 230 on air cushion 250.

As depicted in FIGS. 11 and 13, vehicle 12 moves while hovering indirection of travel 34 over substantially flat surface 230, along lane222. As depicted in FIGS. 14 and 15, vehicle 12 hovers over land, ice,and/or water as it moves over support system 14, e.g., ground surface236, water surfaces 238 and 242, and ice surface 240, as well as othersubstantially flat surfaces such as swampland.

As vehicle 12 moves along lane 222, operators and/or control system 27aboard vehicle 12 communicate with guidance system 224. Operators and/orcontrol system 27 receive operating data (e.g., GPS data, temperature,motion detection data, image data, maintenance condition data, andambient condition data) from guidance devices 248 and/or wirelessnetworks (e.g., satellite systems). Operators and/or control system 27use the data received from and/or processed by guidance system 224 tocontrol maneuvering of vehicle 12 and the various systems of vehicle 12.For example, if vehicle 12 moves close to periphery 234 of lane 222,guidance system 224 will provide corresponding data and output tooperators and/or control system 27 describing the operation status ofvehicle 12. Operators and/or control system 27 may make correspondingoperating adjustments to vehicle 12 (e.g., maneuver vehicle 12 away fromperiphery 234). Operators and/or control system 27 may therebycommunicate with guidance system 224, which is configured to guidevehicle 12 between peripheries 234 of trackless lane 222, to maneuvervehicle 12.

Operators and/or control system 27 operate maneuver subsystem 126 ofhorizontal thrust system 18 to maneuver vehicle 12 on support system 14.Operators and/or control system 27 control rudders 129 to steer vehicle12. Operators and/or control system 27 control some or all of rudders129, either independently, partially in unison, or in unison, to rotateto increase and/or decrease a surface area of rudder 129 impacted byflowing air as vehicle 12 moves. The resulting increasing and decreasingforces applied to rudders 129 disposed on varying parts of vehicle 12influence a direction in which modules 28, 30, and/or 32 will be urged.Operators and/or control system 27 may thereby steer vehicle 12 alonglanes 222 of support system 14 manually and/or using algorithms designedto rotate rudders 129 based on a desired steering direction of modules28, 30, and/or 32.

As a varying rotation of rudders 129 steers hovering vehicle 12 onsupport system 14, linkage assemblies 127 displace as depicted in FIGS.8 and 9. Flexible bearing 170 expands and contracts based on relativemovement of modules 28, 30, and/or 32. For example, when vehicle 12turns, gap 181 expands at a side portion 182 and contracts at a sideportion 184, and slanted surfaces 180 of aperture 168 provide sufficientclearance so that protrusion 166 is not obstructed by aperture 168.

As vehicle 12 hovers over substantially flat surface 230 of lane 222,operators and/or control system 27 may operate dispensing system 26.When dispensing system 26 is activated, dispenser 200 dispenses fill 198stored in housing 196 onto substantially flat surface 230. Dispensingsystem 26 thereby sprays lime, cement, lime-fly ash, fly ash, smoothaggregate, coarse aggregate, and/or water onto lane 222 as vehicle 12hovers over substantially flat surface 230. As various vehicles 12 passover lanes 222, the sprayed lime, cement, lime-fly ash, fly ash, smoothaggregate, coarse aggregate, and water increase the smoothness ofsubstantially flat surface 230. Also, the pressure exerted by aircushion 250 contributes to the improvement of substantially flat surface230, making substantially flat surface 230 smoother and increasinglylevel. Because air cushions become more efficient as the supportingsurface becomes smoother, the operation of dispensing system 26 improvesthe efficiency of vehicles 12 by causing substantially flat surface 230to be an increasingly smooth, flat, and level surface.

Operators and/or control system 27 may activate reverse thrust subsystem124 of horizontal thrust system 18 to stop vehicle 12. In order to exertreverse thrust, thrust levers 158 of thrust reversers 156 may move tothe open position 160 depicted in FIG. 7, thereby closing bypass 150,and ejecting the previously bypassing airflow out of bypass 150 indirection 162 to produce thrust partially opposing the forward thrustproduced by power source 128 of forward thrust subsystem 122. Theforward thrust being produced by power source 128 in direction of travel34 may be reduced and power source 128 may also be powered off.Additionally, power source 154 of reverse thrust subsystem 124 isactivated to produce thrust to urge vehicle 12 in a direction that issubstantially opposite to direction of travel 34. As vehicle 12 stops,flexible bearings 170 of linkage assemblies 127 contract as gap 181contracts, as depicted in FIG. 10. Because protrusions 166 are receivedwithin apertures 168, and linkage assemblies 127 are compressed duringbraking, horizontal stability of vehicle 12 may be improved. Forexample, detrimental results of braking such as jack-knifing aresubstantially prevented.

Operators and/or control system 27 may stop vehicle 12 and set it downat anytime, for example, at another station 220 or at a ground surface236 of support system 14. After reverse thrust subsystem 124 hassubstantially stopped vehicle 12, vertical thrust subsystem 20 may becontrolled to control fans 192 to reduce the amount of pressurized airdirected into space 88, depicted in FIGS. 5 and 6. The pressure of theair in space 88 decreases until air cushion 250 dissipates and a bottomof bead 86 contacts substantially flat surface 230 and/or pad 228,thereby supporting the weight of vehicle 12. Fans 192 continue todecrease the pressure of air within plenums 74 and 106 of modules 28,30, and 32 until the pressure of air within bead interior 90 decreases,allowing beads 86 to deflate. Fans 192 continue to decrease operationand/or stop, continuing to deflate beads 86, until strut systems 77 and110 of modules 28, 30, and 32 contact substantially flat surface 230and/or pad 228. Once beads 86 become substantially deflated, strutsystems 77 and 110 will support an entire weight of vehicle 12. Ifvehicle 12 is at station 220, passengers and/or materials to betransported may be again loaded and/or unloaded from facility 226 intovehicle 12 via door assemblies 46 and 100 of modules 28, 30, and 32.

Several benefits may be associated with hovering vehicle system 10.Because hovering vehicle system 10 requires little man-madeinfrastructure, significant infrastructure costs associated withconventional transportations systems may be avoided (e.g., rail lines,bridges, and electrical distribution systems for tracks). Hoveringvehicle system 10 may provide transportation in areas where conventionaltransportation systems are limited (e.g., partially frozen water bodies,remote areas lacking roads and other conventional transportation links,swampland, arctic areas, desert, and areas having a patchwork of landand water). For example, hovering vehicle system 10 may provide aneconomical transportation system for rural plains, arctic areas, tundra,partially or fully frozen water bodies, and water bodies that arepartially or fully un-navigable because of ice. For example, hoveringvehicle system 10 may provide commercially viable transportation inrelatively flat, sparsely populated areas such as, for example, parts ofthe U.S. Midwest, Australia, Canada, and Russia. Also, hovering vehiclesystem 10 may provide a transportation system that improves itsinfrastructure during operation through an operation of dispensingsystem 26.

It will be apparent to those skilled in the art that variousmodifications and variations can be made to the disclosed apparatus andmethod. Other embodiments will be apparent to those skilled in the artfrom consideration of the specification and practice of the disclosedmethod and apparatus. It is intended that the specification and examplesbe considered as exemplary only, with a true scope being indicated bythe following claims and their equivalents.

1-20. (canceled)
 21. A self powered hovering vehicle, comprising: a leading module; a plurality of intermediate modules; a control system; and a guidance system in communication with the control system and configured to guide the vehicle between peripheries of a trackless lane.
 22. The self powered hovering vehicle of claim 21, wherein: the leading module includes a front window assembly and the plurality of intermediate assemblies include a plurality of side window assemblies.
 23. The self powered hovering vehicle of claim 21, comprising: a horizontal thrust assembly.
 24. The self powered hovering vehicle of claim 23, wherein the horizontal thrust assembly includes: a forward thrust subsystem; and a reverse thrust subsystem.
 25. The self powered hovering vehicle of claim 21, comprising: a vertical thrust assembly.
 26. The self powered hovering vehicle of claim 21, comprising: a hood assembly and plenum.
 27. The self powered hovering vehicle of claim 21, comprising: a power source configured to drive a fan.
 28. The self powered hovering vehicle of claim 21, comprising: a dispenser and housing, the housing being configured to house a surface improving material.
 29. The self powered hovering vehicle of claim 28, wherein the surface improving material is chosen from the group consisting of lime, cement, lime-fly ash, fly ash, smooth aggregate, coarse aggregate, and water.
 30. The self powered vehicle of claim 21, comprising: a linkage system.
 31. The self powered hovering vehicle of claim 30, wherein the linkage system further includes: a plurality of rudders.
 32. The self powered hovering vehicle of claim 30, wherein the plurality of rudders perform the same movement in unison:
 33. The self powered hovering vehicle of claim 30, wherein the plurality of rudders are independently operable.
 34. The self powered hovering vehicle of claim 21, comprising: an inflatable bead configured to drag on the ground.
 35. The self powered hovering vehicle of claim 21, wherein the leading module and respective ones of the plurality of intermediate modules are interconnected by a plurality of flexible bearings.
 36. The self powered hovering vehicle of claim 21, comprising: an energy collector.
 37. The self powered hovering vehicle of claim 21, comprising: a strut system configured to support the self powered vehicle on a pad when it is in a non-hovering state.
 38. The self powered hovering vehicle of claim 21, wherein the guidance system includes: a module configured to send and receive sensed operation data from vehicle.
 39. The self powered hovering vehicle of claim 38, wherein the guidance system includes: a plurality of devices external from the hovering vehicle and dispersed intermittently along the trackless lane, the plurality of devices being configured to communicate guidance data with the control system, wherein the guidance data includes GPS data, elevation data, ambient condition data, motion detection data, obstruction data, image data, and/or maintenance condition data.
 40. The self powered hovering vehicle of claim 39, wherein the plurality of devices includes: transponders, receivers, transmitters, and/or interrogation devices configured to communicate with the control system. 